Paperboard folder with pockets



June 23, 1970 T. TTE 3,516,599

PAPERBOARD FOLDER WITH POCKETS Filed Aug. 6, 1968 6' &.; .:[g A e, 4 312 f 28 w 40 /46 A 42 l Jk H 2d s6 BIG. 1

INVENTOR K ciNN EFFH 7 B TE {y United States Patent O 3,516,599 PAPERBOARD FOLDER WITH POCKETS Kenneth T. Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Brown Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 750,720 Int. Cl. B65d 27/08 US. Cl. 229-72 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A folder jacket formed from an integral cut and scored blank is provided with integral pockets on the inner surface of the front and rear covers adapted to pull away from the covers when the folder is in an open position. The blank is also cut in a fashion so as to prevent the building up of stock on the inner surface of the score line dividing the front and rear cover panels when the folder is in a closed position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Folder jackets are extensively used by businessmen, professional people and students to contain loose documents in an orderly fashion and to prevent the individual papers from becoming frayed and torn during ordinary use and handling. One of the most popular types of folders is formed of a sheet of paperboard folded over so as to provide opposed cover panels. In an improved version of this basic folder, the lower edges of the cover panels are folded up so as to provide pockets on the inner surface of each panel. The formation of these pockets presents two problems. First of all, the buildup of stock required for the pockets on the inner surface of the score line separating the cover panels tends to crack the score line. This results at first in an unsightly product and eventually leads to the failure of the folder. The second problem relating to folders of the type described revolves about the fact that if the jacket pocket lies fiat against the inner surface of the cover panel the pockets are difficult to use and there is a strong possibility that the pocket or cover panel will be ripped or torn by the user of the folder during the course of inserting or removing items from the pocket. If the pockets are permanently spaced apart from the cover panels the folder will not lie flat in the closed condition and hence will occupy an undue volume. This will cause shipping and storage problems and will also detract from the overall aesthetic appeal of the folder.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a folder jacket with pockets on the inner surface of the folder cover panels which are adapted to lie flat against the cover panels when the folder is in a closed position, but which will automatically separate from the cover panels (or pop open) when the folder jacket is opened.

A further object is to provide a folder of the type above described wherein the fold line separating the jacket pockets does not bind against the fold line separating the cover panels, although the pockets extend for substantially the width of the cover panels.

Another object is to provide an integrally cut and scored paperboard blank adapted to be erected into a folder capable of attaining the aforementioned objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other beneficial objects and advantages are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing a folder formed from an integrally cut and scored blank having front and rear cover panels separated by a major score line extending the length of the blank; end

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margins extending from the free edges of the blank and adapted to be folded inwardly and adhesively secured to the inner surface of the cover panels; a top margin extending from the upper edge of the cover panels and similarly adapted to be folded and adhesively secured to the inner surface of the cover panels; and pockets defined by lower flaps inwardly folded and secured along and by the sidemargins to the interior of the cover panels. The lower fiaps are each hinged to the cover panels along transverse score lines which are offset or disposed at a slight acute angle downwardly from the normal to the major score line, and the free outer edge of each of the pockets is shaved so that when the lower flaps are folded upwardly along the transverse score lines, the shaved edges are aligned with the side margins and the overall pocket configuration is rectangular.

When the folder is erected from the blank and opened, the pockets will tend to lift away from the cover panels since the width of each pocket is less than that of the cover panel to which it is secured. Also, when the folder is in a closed position, the score line separating the two pockets will lie within the major score line rather than coincide with the major score line. This prevents the building up of stock on the interior of the folder cover and hence serves to protect the cover and increase its duration of use. Material may be removed along the score line separating the pockets near the base of the major score line to further prevent the buildup of stock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the inner surface of an integrally cut and scored blank adapted to be erected into a folder in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an erected folder which is depicted in the open position and displays the pop open feature of the folder pockets; and,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the folder in a closed position, portions of the cover panel have been removed to display the nonbinding feature of the pocket score line.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is now made to the drawings in which common parts depicted in the several views bear common reference numerals and wherein stippled shading is used to depict areas to which adhesive is to be applied. In FIG. 1 a generally rectangular integrally cut and scored paperboard blank 10 is depicted as comprising front and rear cover panels 12 and 14 separated by a major longitudinal fold or score line 16. Front cover top and side wall margins 18 and 20 are hingedly connected to the front cover panel, along score lines 18a and 20a respectively, and rear top and side wall margins 22 and 24 are hingedly connected to the rear wall panel along margin score lines 22a and 24a respectively.

Pocket flaps 26 and 28 are hingedly connected to the lower edges of the front and rear cover panels 12 and 14 along transverse score lines 30 and 32 respectively. The transverse score lines are disposed downwardly at a slight angle a relative to the normal 34 (as shown in phantom) to the major score line 16 and extend out- 'wardly from the major score line to the free longitudinal edge of each panel. The bottom of the blank (which forms the top of the pockets of the erected folder) is defined by edges 36 and 38.

The free edges 40 and 42 of the pocket flaps are shaved by removing a wedge of material therefrom so that the top of the pockets (i.e. edges 36 and 38) are less wide than the cover panels and the free edges 40' and 42 are aligned with margin score lines 20a and 24a of the cover panels.

The free edges 40 and 42 of the pocket flaps are shaved so that, when the flaps are folded over transverse score lines 30 and 32, free edges 40 and 42 are aligned with score lines 20a and 24a and way be adhered to the cover panels along margins 20 and 24. This may be achieved by shaving or removing a wedge of material having an angle 2a (shown in phantom) which is twice the angle a between the transverse score lines 30 and 32 and the normal to the major score line 16. Such shaving results in the angles b between the transverse scores and the free edges to be identical to and overlap the angle b between the transverse score and the margin scores, as shown in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment of my invention the transverse score lines were disposed at an angle a of /2 downwardly from the normal to the major score line, and the lower end flaps were shaved 1, yielding satisfactory results. The angle a should be kept small and in this regard may vary from between /2 to 2". If the angle a exceeds 2, the pocket becomes unduly large and the folder will not lie fiat.

To facilitate the erecting of the folder, an elongated cut out slot 44 is provided along portions of the major score line between the pocket flaps. The slot extends downwardly from the intersection of the major score line 16 and the transverse score lines 30 and 32. Fold line 46 divides the front and rear pocket flaps and extends from the lower edge of slot 44 to the bottom of the blank. Score line 46, it is to be noted, continues along an extension of major score line 16.

The folder shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be formed from blank on a right angle gluing machine of the type that is commercially available. The blank is erected by first folding over and gluing the top margins 18 and 22 to the inner surfaces of the cover panels. In the same pass, pocket flaps 26 and 28 may be folded loosely, but not flat, along score lines 30' and 32.

On the next pass of the machine, after a right angle turn, adhesive may be applied to the side wall margins 20 and 22. The free edges 40 and 42 of the pocket flaps are aligned with margin score lines 20a and 24a and then the side margins 20 and 24 are folded inwardly over the free edges. The lower portion of each margin thus seals and adheres the free edges of the pocket flap to the cover margins, while the upper portion adheres to the inner surface of the cover panels.

Slits 50 and 52 may be provided in the side margins at the approximate point where the pocket flaps terminate. These slits serve to accommodate the transition between the double thickness of the stock in the lower portion of the folder and the single thickness of stock in the upper portion. The slits and 52 do not extend across the entire width of the margins.

I claim:

1. A folder formed from an integral blank comprising: front and rear cover flaps connected to one another along a major score line, and pocket flaps extending from the lower edges of the cover panels, each of said flaps being connected to the cover panel along a transverse score line extending downwardly from and defining an acute angle with the normal to the major score line varying between /2 and 2; and each of said flaps having a free edge defining an acute angle with said transverse score line equal to the angle between said transverse score line and the longitudinal edge of said cover panel, whereby said free edges of said cover and flap are aligned when said folder is erected.

2. The folder, in accordance with claim 1, in which said cover panels are provided with side margins extending from said cover panels and adapted to adhere the free edges of said pocket flaps in alignment with the free edges of said cover panels.

3. An integral cut and scored blank for forming a folder jacket comprising: front and rear cover panels hingedly connected to one another along a major score line; top and side margins extending from said cover panels and pocket flaps extending from the lower edges of the cover panels, each of said flaps being connected to the cover panel along a transverse score line extending downwardly from and defining an acute angle with the normal to the major score line varying between /z and 2, and each of said flaps having a free edge defining an acute angle with said transverse score line equalto the angle bet-ween said transverse score line and the free longitudinal edge of said cover panel, whereby the free edges of said cover and flap are aligned when said folder is erected.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,568,941 9/1951 Benson 229-72 3,070,279 12/1962 Lutwack i 229-72 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner 

